We Got Hannah Montana Tickets......

Yes, we finally got tickets to a Hannah Montana concert....her movie! Can you believe the kids made me stay up until midnight on Friday to assure them of seats for a concert movie that won't play until February 1st? Yes, and it cost as much for four seats as it did for me to see the last concert I attended...hmmm that probably says too much about my age....but it was a lot for movie tix. This better be good, since we are frozen out of the live performances. Go check out my husbands blog to see how he is handling the family Hannah fetish.

We do enjoy Hannah, not that there's anything wrong with that!

Johnny Depp - The Best Actor of Our Generation!

Let me start by saying that I have always loved Johnny Depp! It's really hard to say which one of his movie moments are his best, because the roles have been so different and versatile. I'd have to say that two of my favorites have to be 1) Captain Jack Sparrow from the original Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl, and reaching a few years back, 2) Roux from Chocolat.

Fans all love Captain Jack, but I love the way Johnny plays him. Who can resist the swaggering pirate. He certainly channeled Keith Richard. My favorite scene is Jack's movie entrance when he is coming into the harbor and his ship sinks beneath him as it comes into port. I believe this entrance sets the whole humorous undertone for the movie and his character - the scheming, but lovable Jack. And it's done mostly through non-verbal acting. Jack Sparrow is a great character who will stand the time in movie history.

In Chocolat, Johnny Depp plays Roux, an Irish gypsy who falls for the eccentric, but charming, French chocolatier. His performance as the romantic lead made me swoon. I guess you'd say Roux is a similar character to Jack, in that he is on the fringe of society and that is one reason he captivates Vianne, the lead. She is a rogue too, in trying to change the way the town looks at life's pleasures. I think this was a subtle performance and he also showed off his musical talents.

Even though Johnny's Jack Sparrow character will always be my favorite, I look forward to seeing his new characters develop. I'm looking forward to seeing how the singing Sweeney Todd comes to life under Johnny's guidance. I've never seen the stage musical, but I did know what it was about. It sounds very macabre and interesting and Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton have never gone wrong when it comes to presenting a great story. You can visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site where they have great information on the cast, the musical and wonderful snippets to whet your Johnny Depp appetite. You can also visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace to see more about Johnny's latest creation! I'm looking forward to seeing Johnny Depp sing!

Another Reason to Make Sure Your Kids Wash Their Hands....

Apparently, researchers continue to confirm what Moms and most doctors have been saying for a long time - that hand washing is the number one defense against most viruses and influenza. This is truly the worst season for illnesses in our family. Right now we've got two down and one more coming down with the Fall upper respiratory infections that seem to strike us about every 4 to 6 months. The two kids are on medicines and seem better, but my husband is looking bad and says he's feeling it coming on. Hand washing, hand washing! I tell them all the time, but they don't do it enough.

Maybe if they learn to sing the The Happy Little Working Song from Enchanted - The Movie, they'll be motivated to be much cleaner ;) Don't you parents just LOVE this Movie! Enjoy!

Do Your Children Have Talent?

Or do you have talent? Check out Talent Rock, a way to connect you with talent agents and job opportunities. Talent Rock Events connect aspiring actors, comedians, dancers, models and singers to the entertainment industry. Talent Rock hosts its three-day, two-night talent search events in top travel destinations.

As one of the largest talent search events of its kind, anywhere in the world, Talent Rock creates the perfect mix of fun, entertainment, competition and education. Talent Rock has its next available competition at Disney World's Swan Hotel in Orlando, FL. So take a look and register to attend their next event...you might be their next star!

Hannah Montana Concert Tickets Too Hot to Buy

I've updated this post to include this new link that says that Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus are aware of this scalping and thus far don't seem to know what to do about it. Disney also seems quite mute on how to fix it. Here's what I said before:

My daughters would love to go to a Hannah Montana concert, just like about every girl (and boy) in America. Unfortunately the power-moguls-that-be have made that impossible. Apparently, the tickets are selling out within just a few minutes of going on sale. Then the scalpers and ticket sellers are marking them up, in some cases over $2000 per ticket, according to my friend, MaryAnn, who lives near Tampa.

Her daughter's birthday is coming up and she had hoped to take her and friends to the Tampa, FL show for one of the big gifts. She and four of friends were logged in for the recent ticket sale and she said ALL the tix were gone in 3 minutes! I smell a robot!

Disney, wake up! Don't disenfranchise the people who keep you going! Do something to stop this! You too, Miley Cyrus (and Billy Ray!)

What Time is IT? - Time for High School Musical II!

Tick, tock...tick tock...only a few more hours til the marketing blitz ends...or does it really just begin then? I don't know about you but we already have back to school lunchboxes, notebooks and folders covered with..............High School Musical!!!
The Disney wunderkind of 2006 is reprising itself tonight at 8pm ET on Disney Channel with High School Musical II. Welllllll.......I'm not ashamed to admit it - I LOVE IT!

I think the original story was a great way for kids to discuss cliques and their problems - interwoven with a great music, a winning and cute cast and fun dancing! We are planning a little pizza party for our little pre-tweens and maybe a few friends to enjoy the premiere. My 5 year old is suddenly taken with Sharpay. No, not Sharpei. Ashley Tisdale's character. I hope this doesn't fortell more regarding our last post about her and her sizzle factor. Sharpay is quite a (censored for the kids) most of the time, so I am not sure I like dd2 liking her so much.

Anyway, I believe the High School Musical II Soundtrack will soon supplant our Hannah Montana CD in the SUV tomorrow. Poor Miley - her starpower will now flag! (update - it just did...and we are really enjoying it - it's very good!)

At least I'm enjoying my kids' music and stuff for now. I'm feeling like the mom of a friend of mine I had in junior high. Remember junior high? She chaperoned us at a Styx concert and was standing up and having a good time, when some stoner behind her said loudly, " hey look, that old lady can dance". She stopped having such a fun time. Well, that ain't going to happen to me - I'll tell the little (censored for the kids) to shut up, cause I'm gonna dance!

You Can Help Build a Children's Museum Today

I guess I am just finishing a trifecta - but here's a third post about my sister and her life. You already read that she's selling her house. Then you read about her perfume business and magazine. Now, she's started a founders' committee in St. Augustine, FL to start up a children's museum for St. Johns County. The website link will be up and running shortly.

Their Vision is:

The Children’s Museum of St. Johns, or CMSJ, will be a fun, safe place to play, an exciting place to learn, and a comfortable gathering place for families to interact. Children can touch, create, imagine, and learn through hands-on, interactive play. There will be no signs that say “DO NOT TOUCH!” Fun and entertaining exhibits will encourage play and, at the same time, stimulate the mind.

They're at the stage of needing contributions and philanthropic support to move forward to secure a site and continue with their plans. I know my sister and she makes things happen. Here is what they need:

Private Sources
• Individuals (Members of CMSJ)
• Corporations (Exhibit Sponsors)
• Foundations
Public Sources
• City and County
• State
• Regional and National
Numerous naming opportunities will be available throughout the museum to encourage and recognize philanthropic
support. For example:
• $2.5 million - Naming rights to Museum
• $250K - $1 million - Naming rights to specific rooms within Museum
• $100K - Naming rights for Permanent Exhibits
• $25K - $50K - Sponsorship of Traveling Exhibits
• $1K - $10K - Permanent recognition on donor wall in Museum

Please contact Wendy White Philcox at ppi@aug.com for more information or to help in any way. ***This is not a paid endorsement, this is family!

Wait Til She Turns 13....

Actually, I don't think we're having to wait until age 13 for our dd2 to become a fashion maven. Yesterday, we were getting ready to go to Ollie Koala's Backyard, a great new Chuck E. Cheese-like place that's new here.

She put on pink sparkly sunglasses, a scarf, and jewels and announced to herself in the mirror, "I am sooooo fashionny". I also heard her say, what I can only assume is her version of "I'm so smokin' hot", which would be, "oooooh, sizzle" to herself. She has no confidence problem.

We really did enjoy our outing to the Jacksonville, FL based Ollie Koala's Backyard. It was so much larger inside than we all expected....not jammed up like the aforementioned Chuck E.'s. I had gotten coupons off the Internet site (a good reason to look there before you go) and gotten a great family package deal. With that we got four drinks, a giant pizza with two toppings and $20 in koala cash. This kept us all busy for 2 1/2 hours.

You can get all the drink refills you want. The pizza was some of the best I've ever had - very garlicky crust, very cheesy and wonderful tasting pepperoni. They even have ribs for the Dads and they serve beer and wine for you other stressed out parents!

The koala cash thing is really nice. They give the kids debit cards that they swipe to play the games and to keep track of the tickets they win in the games. No endless tokens! They have a really cool bumper car game that the kids can ride. The kids really loved their indoor play gym, which is free.

This a great option to take care of what to do on a hot summer day!

*This is not a paid post or advertisement

Shhhh, don't tell my kids....

Oh Lord, the kids are going to be bugging us about this one: Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana on tour together!

Looks like the closest to us will be the Tampa date on 11/19, a Monday and a school night. Too bad, so sad.

But, there's an open date with location TBD on 11/16, a Friday. Gotta think Orlando will be in the picture for that date soon, what with all the Disney cross-promotion marketing muscle.

I think this is a job for their mother.

Trouble Sleeping...

Lately, I am having more and more trouble staying asleep through the night. I don't know if it is related to my recent hysterectomy and recovery, aging, back pain, or whatever - it is a pain in the ****. I got up today at 5 a.m. and I don't have to...yet. The kids and I are supposed go swimming at dd2's friend's home today. They have a beautiful pool - the kids keep asking when we are getting a new home. I have no answers. Yesterday was quite wearing, but we had fun. No Hairspray movie though - they opted for Transformers. I liked it....and as it has been reported, I would say it is definitely a boy/guy movie more than a girl movie. Lots of explosions, robots and hot chicks. Now, my husband will read this and go.

Quidditch Anyone? Harry Potter is a world of it's own

I loved this article about how college students created a way to play Harry Potter's magical game Quidditch in real life. I think the last line says it all...

"Running around on brooms does appeal to a surprising number of college students."

I think I'll send my kids there ;)

In the meantime Happy Harry Potter Weekend! I have my copy coming in the mail on Saturday!